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Thursday, November 17, 2011

Knickers and biscuits with Sarah Kerry

This Christmas, we have lots of new crafters selling their wares at the Crafty Fox Market. Have you checked out the full list of stall-holders yet?

The very creative and talented Sarah Kerry is new to Crafty Fox and spares some time to tell us about her unique creations.

Tell us a bit about yourself - where are you from, when did you learn to knit/sew etc...

I have always enjoyed creating things, I remember aged 10 or 11 going round to my friend’s house and her mum taught us to make a rag doll using a pattern, every Sunday afternoon we’d work on our dollies, making dresses for them etc. I still have mine, although it’s missing a leg, so hopefully my sewing has improved since then. When I went to University College Falmouth to study Contemporary Craft, I was initially passionate about all things kiln related, till one day I knitted a test piece on a whim and didn’t really look back – instead of creating a giant glass and ceramic plug, I created a soft knitted one.

What inspired you start creating biscuit cushions?

Well I didn’t just look at a biscuit and get inspiration from that! I was working on a design for a giant tea cup you could sit in, with a fair isle willow pattern on it, and I kept drawing biscuits on the designs, until I wanted to make the biscuits more than the tea cup. It is important to my aesthetic to stay true to an image – I think it adds to the surrealism of the object. It was a bit of a painful process to get them just right but it was worth it in the end.

What is your favourite item to make?

I think the most enjoyable projects are also the most difficult. I sometimes take cardigans on commission, they take more than a day of intense work, so I feel quite attached to them when I’m done – same with the biscuits, the custard cream probably brings the most pride but I think the Jam Sandwich Cream is the most fun to make. The felted items (slippers, mitts, booties) tend to be the messiest

Do you have any new products up your sleeve that you would like to tell us about?

Yes please! I’ve gone a bit girly! There are pretty knickers repurposed from satin scarves and cotton fabric, and some cobweb weight lace knit scarves in merino, cashmere and silk.

Find Sarah at Crafty Fox on Saturday 10th December at The Dogstar, Brixton